Hat.



No. 848,699. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

E. D. SOULE.

HAT. APPLIoATIoN FILED 1120.4, 190s.

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,1HE NoRRls PErERs co., WASHINGTON, u. c.

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THE NoRRls crsRs co., wAsHmcroN, D. c,

EDWARD DAVID SOULE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented April 2, 1907.

Application filed December 4, 1906. Serial No. 346,240.

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD DAVID SOUL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hats, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to ladies and childrens hats of the class in which the outer material may be readily removed for the purpose of being laundered or replaced, as desired.

One of the objects of the invention is to dispense entirely with the wire or skeleton frame used as a support or base for the fabric and to replace the frame by suitable flexible rings of wire or similar material, one such ring being inserted in the brim portion of the hat and the other in the crown portion, these rings serving to distend the fabric and give it the requisite firmness and shape.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a hat composed of separable elements, which may be readily and quickly assembled and disassembled, eecting a decided saving in time and cost of labor.

The invention has other objects and possesses numerous advantages which will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following specification.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the invention I wish it to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in various details, and the annexed drawings illustrate but one embodiment of the invention, and in the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hat embodying the novel features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the brim portion of the hat. Fig. '4 is a similar view of the crown portion of the hat. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a stiffening element adapted for insertion into the crown of the hat. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the hat-brim having the flaps thereof secured to the band or bandeau, and Fig. 7 is a similar view of the band or bandeau.

In constructing my improved hat I employ a band or bandeau 1, such as that illustrated in Fig. 7. This band is made of a vsuitable fairly stiff material and is of the standard size which the completed hat is to have. On the periphery of the band are secured a series of male or stud members 2,

-circular cut-out portions 6.

preferably eight in number, which are adapted to engage with corresponding female members 3 of snap-fasteners, certain of which are secured to flaps on the hat-brim and certain others of which are provided upon the crown, as will be hereinafter fully described. Instead of employing snap-fasteners, which are preferred, I may use buttons and buttonholes or other equivalent separable fastening elements.

To the band 1 I secure the brim, which is of the usual annular form, and consists, preferably, of a lower intact ring of fabric 4 and an upper coincident-fabric member 5, having Formed integrally `with the upper fabric member 5 are tongues or flaps 7, each having an aperture 8, through which a stud 2 is designed to pass. The lower fabric ring 4 is provided with a like number of iiaps 9, carrying the female fastening members 3, which are adapted to engagel such of the stud members 2 as project through the apertures 8 in the flaps 7. The tongues 7 are of approximately the same length as the height of the band`1 and when fastened lie adjacent its exterior surface, whereas the flaps 9 are made sufliciently long to project upwardly on the interior side of the band and to be turned downwardly thereover, so as to overlie the flaps or tongues 7.

The preferred form of hat includes four flaps for engaging as many studs, thus leaving four free stud members 2 between the aps for engagement with the female members upon the interior of the crown.

It will be noted that an annular pocketis formed between the fabric layers of the brim, and before the brim is secured upon the band I insert into this pocket a ring of iiexible resilient material 10, such as wire, Fig. 2, which serves to distend the fabric, giving it a smooth appearance and serving the same purpose as a wire frame, but having none of the objectionable features of the latter. To the inner'edge of the lower fabric member 4 is sewed a lining 11, which is provided with a draw-string 12 to enable the lining to be drawn together and placed in the hat, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

I prefer to make the crown of an inner stiffening or supporting member and an outer covering of fabric therefor. In Fig. 5 I have illustrated the stiifening member, which consists of an upper circular piece of material 13 and a lower concentric piece of like material 14, having a circular aperture out therein.

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To the edge of the aperture is secured, as by sewing, a band 15, of buckram or like material, in which are orifices 16, through which those of the studs 2 on the band 1 are designed to pass that are not engaged by the fiaps 9. Over the stiffening member and adapted to practically envelop the same is placed the outer fabric crown 17, on the inte rior portion of which are provided a series of female snap members 3, which engage the studs 2, that project through the orifices 16. If desired, the crown 17 may be provided with an ornamental rim 18 to lie over the hat-brim. Before the crown and brim are connected I place within the annular pocket formed by the members 13 and 14 a wire 19, similar in its nature and operation to the wire 10 in the brim portion.

I/Vhen the crown and its stiffening element have been placed one about the other, as above described, the hat may be completed by placing the band 15 over the band 1 in such manner that the unengaged studs 2 project through the orifices 16 and are in line with the female members 3 of the liat-crown, which female members may then be snapped upon the studs, thus firmly uniting the parts of the hat. j From the foregoing description it will be noted that by my invention I am enabled to make a hat consisting of two principal parts--- viz., the brim portion and the crown portion-which may be easily joined and as readily separated.

It will also be apparent that I dispense with the wire frames now generally employed, thereby saving the cost thereof and making the hat lighter than if the frame were included. The frame being usually made of comparatively iniieXible wire may be readily bent out of shape without having the resiliency to return to its normal form, and in this respect is a decidedly disadvantageous feature in a hat of this character.

The provision of means for the removal of the fabric enables the latter to be laundered as frequently as desired and presents an advantage from the viewpoint of economy and cleanliness.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettert Patent, is-

1. In a hat of the character described, the combination of a brim portion comprising a band provided with one element of a series of locking devices, a lower fabric ring having iaps provided with members adapted to engage the locking elements on the band, and an upper fabric member having flaps adapted to be held between the parts of said locking devices, substantially as described. y

2. In a hat of the character described, the combination of a brim portion comprising a band carrying studs, and superposed layers of fabric secured thereto. the upper layer of fabric being provided with iiaps having apertures designed to pass over the studs and the lower layer having flaps provided with female snap members designed to interlock with the studs on the band, substantially as described.

3. A hat of the character described, comprising the combination of a brim portion including an upwardly-projecting band carry- Ving studs, a crown portion composed of an inner stiffening member having a depending band provided with orifices through which certain of the said studs are adapted to project, a fabric covering for said stiffening member, and female locking members in said crown for engaging certain of said studs and interlocking the crown and brim portions, substantially as described.

4. In a hat of the character described, the combination of a brim portion comprising a band having studs and a fabric member provided with flaps designed to be held by said studs, and a crown portion composed of an inner stiffening member having a depending band provided with orifices through which those studs pass which are not engaged by the said flaps, a fabric covering over said stiffening member, and female locking members on the interior of said crown fabric covering for engaging the studs projecting through the orifices in the crown-band, substantially as described.

5. I n a hat of the character described, the combination of a brim portion comprising a band having a series of eight studs and a fabric member provided` with four pairs of flaps designed to be held by four of said studs, a crown portion composed of an inner stiffening member having a depending band provided with orifices through which the unengaged studs project, a fabric covering over said stiening member having four female locking members designed to interlock with said uneiigaged studs, and a resilient flexible wire ring inserted in each of the crown and brim fabrics for distending the same radially, substantially as described.

6. In a hat of the character described, the combination with a band provided with locking members, of a brim portion having aps designed to interlock with said locking mem bers, a resilient ring provided in said brim portion for radially distending the fabric thereof, a stiening member having orifices through which certain of the locking inembers on the band project, and a covering for said stifl'ening member having locking members adapted to interlock with the locking members projecting through the orifices in the band.

7. In a hat of the character described, the combination with a band provided with locking members, of a brim portion comprising an upper and lower layer of fabric each of which is provided with flaps, the flaps upon IOO IIO

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the upper layer lying against the outer circumference of the band and having apertures designed to pass over the locking members thereon and the flaps upon the lower layer being lengthened to pass upwardly against the inner surface of the band and to be turned downwardly and fastened over the flaps upon the upper layer, a resilient ring provided in said brim portion for distending the fabric thereof, and a crown portion having locking members adapted to interlock with certain of the locking members on the band.

8. In a hat of the character described, the combination with a relatively stiff band havin a series of locking members thereon, of a brim portion provided with iiaps having locl orifices through which the unengaged locking members on the band project, and a crown portion adapted to envelop the stifiening member and being provided with locking4 members designed to engage the. locking members on the band which project through the orifices in the stiffening member.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. A

EDWARD DAVID SOULE. Witnesses:

OTTO MUNK, CLARrssA FRANCK. 

